Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
Recently winning the Warzone Beat Battle came as a shock to HuggyHG, after not placing at the top of some of the other battles at IllMuzik. However, it was his two beats that led him to the finals where picked up his first win, and now here we are. How does he make his beats? Let's find out...
Sup. So you recently won the Warzone beat battle, were you surprised?
I don't think surprised is the best word for it but yeah it was some shock going on in the spot when I found out.
I know you lean more towards the Trap beats, and that's great, but how did you first get into Trap?
It's a funny story I was introduced to it by a friend of mine I served with in the Marine Corps. This cat was a genuine producer. Like if I had to show you a diagram of what consists within the producer this man would be apart of it completely. His southern influence along with that churchy vibe is what made me decide yeah that's what I like to do that's where I want to go with it.
It's weird because you have some beats that I wouldn't classify as Trap; some are smooth, almost R&B-ish (like "Misguided"), no?
Yeah it's like that a lot normally I change it around so it fits better in a certain cubbyhole but that one wouldn't allow me to "fix it". It came so naturally that I couldn't say no to it you know what I mean. I have a lot of different pieces to my background coming from Colorado so sometimes it gets that way because of the Jazz/Big Band, R&B and upbeat music I was always accustom to hearing.
What's your current setup like?
A computer. It's all I got all I need right now. I've been told all year that I need more. That I have to get this and look at grabbing that but all honesty right now my laptop is with me at all times, I just rock with it. Most of my riffs come to me first so instead of jotting down the chords I just pull out and start running with it. I'll look at upgrading to a studio after I finish school.
What's the one piece of hardware/software that you rely on the most?
Swear to you that if I didn't have the musical typing function I would be lost in the wayside right about now. But as far as side software I rely heavily on the SPAN that I use to make sure that my levels aren't getting away from me. Everyone likes to hear their mix louder, that just keeps me from rolling too far into the deep you know.
So why do you make beats? Are you selling them or is it something more than that?
Honestly I've had a few people that have asked me to make beats for them, I don't charge because right now I'm not where I want to be to say I deserve this much from someone. So in all honesty I do this for the love of music and nothing really else. I don't sell but I have helped a few other producers and beat makers out with finding some different things they have done.
Which big name producers are you most influenced by?
When you say big name the first person I think about is early Kanye West. He is and forever will be my most looked at producer. Everything from vision to moving his harmonies and positions of sounds is genius. Whether you like him or not he is a huge influence in the creation of beats in the game. A few others that I find myself paying attention to are MixedbyAli and Stackstootrill. They definitely know where they came from and stay true to their art.
Walk us through how you normally do a beat.
My beats are solely and exclusively based in what I heard that day. I'm not good at structure at this point because I literally have to piece things together between breaks so it's hard to say where I start. Also I want it to flow naturally from me so I just lay whatever is in my head down the best I can whether it's dope or weak as hell. I just have to get the ideas out and come back to it later when I'm more clear on what I have going.
What is some of the best advice you've ever received when it comes to music production?
Minimalizing what you think is necessary to make clear and concise rhythms and drum patterns. Since I've only been making beats by myself this has been a constant battle for me but also the best advice that I have every received from another person.
If you had the chance to teach someone how to make beats, what would you do?
Absolutely! I don't want to hide anything that I've learned this past year so if anyone wanted to know some of my tricks or anything I like to think I'm open enough to tell them or show them. Only thing is my schedule is always crazy so it might take a little while for me to get back to them.
Do you have any projects coming out soon?
Not now, I'm planning on expanding in the future though. With the help of this site I think it's the best move to continue learning how to get better so that I can showcase quality over quantity.
Thanks for doing the interview. Any shoutouts you'd like to give?
Shout out to the old lady that calls the police on me every time I play my beats... she the real MVP!
More information on HuggyHG
- You can hear more of his beats on his SoundCloud page.